5-Star Trophy Icon

• By: Maureen Carland
• On: 10/01/2026 10:23:50
• In: Quality/Regulatory

CMS will begin displaying a trophy icon for high-performing nursing homes in Nursing Home Care Compare starting October 8, 2026. The icon will appear alongside a facility's traditional five-star rating. AHCA members should review CMS Memorandum QSO-26-14-NH for additional information. 

According to the updated Five Star Quality Rating System Technical Users' Guide, these facilities have fewer citations, higher staffing levels and strong performance on other quality indicators. 

The guide also provides two technical clarifications: 

• Deficiencies cited during a revisit survey are attributed to the initial survey date. CMS will use that initial survey date when determining whether deficiencies must be deduplicated for rating purposes. 
   
• Staffing-rating downgrades related to CMS audits will take effect during the monthly Nursing Home Care Compare update after the response deadline passes or discrepancies are identified. The downgrade period may be extended if repeat audits identify the same discrepancy. 

For additional information about the Risk-Based Survey, see the following education program in ahcancalED: AHCA Education: Chasing the Trophy: Navigating the Risk-Based Survey Process. 

For additional information about the Five-Star Quality Rating System program, see the following education program in ahcancalED: AHCA Education: The Five-Star Quality Rating System.

Questions about the updates to the Five-Star Quality Rating System or the new Risk-Based Survey may be sent to regulatory@ahca.org.
 
Staff contact mcarland[at]mehca.org